“Give me a word – any word – and I show you that the root of that word is Greek!”                (Mr. Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.)

Anyone who has seen the excellent movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, will remember that line from Mr Portokalos. Although the character and his etymological discourses are obviously played for comedy, when it comes to the world of health and fitness, he may just have a point.

Think of the words, “protein,” “creatine,” “aerobic” and even “gym.” These are but a few examples which really do have their roots in the ancient Greek language.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise though. You see, the ancient Greeks didn’t just give us the vocabulary we use; they also gave us the very concept of physical training as we know it. They were very a healthy and athletic civilisation and it’s from them, of course, that we inherited the Olympic Games, as well as sports like boxing and wrestling.

In addition, the ancient Greeks also gave us a very clear idea of what the perfect body was. Physical strength and fitness were admired and considered important assets in their culture. But more than this, the ancient Greeks elevated the development of the human body to an art form. They aimed for balance, symmetry and proportion in a physique – exactly the same aesthetics that they put into other arts, such as painting, architecture and sculpting.

The Greek ideal survived for many centuries, and has influenced the work of great artists all over the world. It was also the inspiration for early bodybuilders, when that sport was in its infancy around the start of the 1900s. But that started to change around about the 1960s or so. The emphasis in bodybuilding moved away from beauty and proportion and onto sheer size. The introduction of anabolic steroids and other drugs onto the scene didn’t help either.

Bodybuilding physiques eventually got so huge that they’ve now become completely divorced from their classical roots. Sadly, the Greek ideal seems to have been almost forgotten – but the good news is that we have been left clues. Where? In art, of course!

To get an idea of what a classically perfect physique was, we need only look at statues of Greek athletes in a museum, in a book, or even on the internet. Studying these artworks reveals exactly what the ideal body used to look like, and it’s very enlightening. While those statues don’t look like modern bodybuilders, they still definitely look athletic and muscular.

The classical Greek physique was defined by having wide shoulders and a narrow waist, with a trim and flat abdomen. Even today, that kind of tapering silhouette is still highly appealing.

The chest on a Greek statue is well developed, but not to excess. Nowadays, a lot of people do too much chest exercise, and the pectorals end up looking swollen and even droopy. It’s a common mistake made by many newcomers to the gym, probably because the chest is a relatively easy area to build and because exercises like the bench press have a macho image about them.

As for the limbs on a classical statue, these are certainly muscular, but are not overdone. Having massive arms and legs is certainly an achievement, but the danger is that these can overshadow the overall shape of the body and destroy the sense of proportion. A typical feature of Greek statues is that the arms are slighly smaller in circumference than the neck. The calves are approximately the same size as the arms.

Similarly, the neck and trapezius muscles were not overemphasised. If these were too large, they would detract from the wide-shouldered look and throw the whole physique out of balance.

Look also at the overall tone of the muscles on a Greek statue. These look gently sculpted rather than being too harshly “cut” or “ripped.” This look was achieved by reducing the body fat to a low percentage but not nearly as low as competitive bodybuilders are required to. The classical Greek physique didn’t need to have all the striations and muscle fibres visible, or to have veins popping out everywhere.

Some experts are now predicting that eventually the whole sport of bodybuilding will go back to its classical roots and become a truly natural physical culture again. Time will tell, but I hope they are right. The Greek ideal body is a treasure, as precious as any work of art in a museum or gallery. It deserves to shine once again.

Body building supplements are those substances, which aid in building muscle mass, in addition to assisting in faster recovery from damage caused to the muscle tissues (owing to the resistance training undertaken by bodybuilders). It is not that these body building supplements bring forth a chemical change in the body or that they boost the natural levels of hormones such as testosterone or any other growth hormones. Unless accompanied by the right kind of diet and an optimum workout routine, these body building supplements can hardly trigger any positive changes, let alone help in building muscle mass.

What role do body building supplements play?

When a person is performing regular workouts, then he needs to supply his body with loads of nutrients in order to meet his body’s increasing energy demands. The growing and repairing muscles are at a highly active metabolic state and consequently, require higher amounts of nutrients to allow repair, replenishment and growth of the muscle tissues. Therefore, during body building, you need to increase the intake of nutrients such as proteins and amino acids; carbohydrates; vitamins and minerals; essential fatty acids; and most importantly, water. Not only do the energy demands increase significantly, but the need for other supplements that are required for building muscle mass such as Creatine, anti-Cortisol, antioxidant supplements, protein supplements, etc, also get escalated.

Therefore, we need to supply these essential muscular growth supporting substances to the body through dietary supplementation because we can not supply sufficient quantities of these substances through food alone. These supplements are considered to be very important for body building and unless supplied in the required quantities, they can result in nutrient deficiencies, or hamper the repair and recovery of damaged muscle tissues.

Which are the essential bodybuilding supplements which aid in building muscle mass?

Some of the most important bodybuilding supplements are -

1. Protein supplements: Protein supplements having a high biological value (BV), (such as whey having a BV of 104, egg proteins having a BV of 100, milk proteins having a BV of 91) must be taken by body builders because these protein supplements greatly aid in building muscle mass.

2. Creatine: Although Creatine is inherently present in the human body, yet it must be taken immediately after a workout because Creatine intermittently supplies the muscle tissues with energy to fuel the workouts and to support anabolism. In addition, Creatine aids in faster recovery of the damaged muscle tissues and must therefore be taken immediately after a workout.

3. Natural Hormone Modifiers: It is also recommended to take body building supplements to boost the levels of testosterone and the other growth hormones in the body by taking the prescribed dose of natural hormone modifiers, which greatly aid in building muscle mass.

4. Anti-Cortisol: In order to prevent the onset of the catabolic breakdown of the muscle fibers, caused due to a workout, body builders must take anti-cortisol supplementation soon after a workout.

Apart from these essential bodybuilding supplements that aid in building muscle mass, there are several other supplements also such as – multivitamins, mineral formulas and antioxidants (such as polyphenols and resveratrol, essential fatty acids and Vitamin C and E), without which the desired body building results cannot be achieved.

Here is my last training programm! I made 10 kilos in less than half a year (being already big and experienced weightlifter and bodybuilder). My brother gained 20 kilos in one year… It is increadible, and you’ll have to go to the gym only two times a week and spend there only one hour per visit! Isn’t it awesome to spend less money, to spend less time and to grow bigger and stronger?

Let’s go!

Tuesday:

1. Bench press – 5×5 (2 sets warming-up, 3 sets with the maximum weight you can do 5 repetitions)

2. Weight retention 1×60 seconds (isometric exercise helping to strenghten your tendons) weight must be 30% heavier than the maximum weight you can do in this exercise!

3. Squats – 1×10 (warming up), 1×20 (you must take the maximum possible weight to do this exercise)

4. Pull-ups! The maximum number that you can.

Saturday:

1. Shoulder press – 5×5 (2 sets warming-up, 3 sets with the maximum weight you can do 5 repetitions)

2. Biceps curls – 5×5 (2 sets warming-up, 3 sets with the maximum weight you can do 5 repetitions)

3. Deadlifts – 5×5 (2 sets warming-up, 3 sets with the maximum weight you can do 5 repetitions)

In the last set of all the exercises you should obtain the muscular breakdown. If you feel that you can do one more repetition? then you must increase weight next time in this exercise. This simple program works for all people including “hardgainers” and so on. This is the programm for experienced powerlifters and bodybuilders and for the beginners as well! Enjoy your everyday growing muscles!

’s Got At Least 4 Minutes To Workout!

In the real world, there will be days when we simply do not have enough time to perform the ideal full-length 20-minute interval cardio workouts (not including a highly recommended 5-minute warm-up and cool-down).

In most instances, the typical approach we take is to just skip the workout altogether. The flawed assumption here is that no significant results can occur in less than 30 minutes anyways. However, this could not be further from the truth! Both our clients and we have discovered just how much can happen in 4 minutes with the right approach to training. So basically, there is no room for excuses as we all have at least 4 minutes on any given day to workout

It’s not about time… IT’S ALL ABOUT INTENSITY!

The key to these cardio interval workouts is INTENSITY. In both scientific research and real world studies, time and time again one thing is clear: Intensity is truly the only thing that makes your body change! Intensity is the key to ripping off ugly, unwanted body fat and gaining lean, sexy muscle.

As much as we’d love to claim we’ve reinvented the wheel here, this intensity principle is nothing new in the fitness world. Even as far back as 1994 in the Metabolism Journal researchers discovered the following: each calorie you expend during high-intensity exercise burns 9 times more fat than the same calorie expended during steady state aerobic exercise! Don’t believe this? Well, trust us when we say that you definitely will become a believer in intensity after performing your first interval workout. It’s really the coolest thing in the world. It’s like you just flip the switch to building the body of your dreams. See below to learn more about why this happens:

The Role of HIGH-Intensity Exercise

- Embraces the Carb-Burning Zone: High-Intensity exercise rapidly reducing muscle glycogen (stored sugar) during training which promotes enhanced total body fat-burning at all other times of day.

- Burns a TON of Calories Both During AND After Exercise: This phenomenon is due to the post-workout “AFTERBURN” know as EPOC which describes the number of calories your body expends in the recovery of your metabolism back to pre-exercise levels from high-intensity training. The best part about EPOC is that you control it, meaning that the harder you work during training the more calories your body will burn BOTH during your workout AND for up to 24-48 hours after completing your workout!

- Creates the Optimal Hormonal Environment for Fat Loss: High-Intensity exercise puts your body in a “fight or flight” mode that forces your body to CHANGE as a means of survival. More specifically, your body releases catecholamines (primarily adrenaline) in response to interval training that directly mobilizes stored body fat so that it can be burnt off as energy during activity.

The 4-Minute Rapid Fat Loss Cardio Program

How to Get 4-Minute Equipment-Free Fat Loss in Your Living Room!

This Workout Muse Cardio EXPRESS features the breakthrough Tabata Protocol that Japanese scientists used to compare the effects of only 4 minutes of high-intensity interval training to a slow, long 60-minute steady-state aerobic alternative. They found GREATER FAT LOSS and GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN FITNESS with the following 4-minute interval routine versus the full hour of aerobics!

Each workout takes only 4 minutes, not including the highly recommended warm-up. In all, you will be in the shower 10 short minutes after breaking your first bead of sweat

Cardio EXPRESS

Are You Ready For TABATAS?

- 5-minute warm-up (optional, but highly recommended)

- Select the appropriate Tabatas Variation for your current fitness level:

Level I- Beginners- Modified Tabatas: 10 s on, 20 s off

- 10 s on (sprint), 20 s off (recover)- 1:2 work to rest ratio – Repeat this 30 s round 8x for 4 total minutes

Level II- Intermediate- Modified Tabatas: 15 s on, 15 s off

- 15 s on (sprint), 15 s off (recover)- 1:1 work to rest ratio – Repeat this 30 s round 8x for 4 total minutes

Level III- Advanced- Original Tabatas: 20 s on, 10 s off

- 20 s on (sprint), 10 s off (recover)- 2:1 work to rest ratio – Repeat this 30 s round 8x for 4 total minutes

The Top 6 Body Weight Cardio Exercises

Choose either one exercise below and perform it for the full duration of your workout OR feel free to switch to different exercises from round to round to mix things up and get a little more variety:

1.) Stationary Running

2.) Jumping Claps (Modified Jumping Jack)

3.) Cross-Country Skier

4.) Mountain Climber

5.) Burpee Variation

6.) Shadow Boxing or Kickboxing

Perform These Cardio Workouts Only On Days:

- When you truly have NO TIME for the prescribed full-length 20-minute interval workouts (e.g. travel days)

- For an extra metabolic boost during the day to accelerate fat loss (immediately in the morning or 4-6 hours before/after your main workout of the day)

- Before a “free meal” to serve as a bit of damage control so that your body is primed to use the extra carbs and calories from this meal for muscle growth and recovery while minimizing fat-storage (don’t push this too far – this is not an excuse to go hog-wild!)

IMPORTANT NOTE-

Feel free to perform this protocol with any mode of cardio exercise (e.g. outdoor/treadmill running, cycling, etc.). We have simply provided the best equipment-free cardio exercises for the utmost simplicity and convenience.

You can even employ body weight resistance training exercises (squats, push-ups, lunges, etc.) or other resistance training exercises using dumbbells, bands, sandbags, etc. to perform these express workouts. Use your imagination to explore the infinite possibilities for endless variety and to keep your workouts exciting, fun, and fresh!

In a body building program, the exercises that you do can make all the difference between an effective program and one that won’t do much good. The good thing is that there are many, many body building exercises you can incorporate into your workout that will help grow your muscles and keep you fit and trim.

For big legs, you’ll want to do a lot of barbell squats and dead lifts. The resistance you are putting on your legs when you perform these types of exercises will push your muscles to make them grow. That’s the point of an intense workout program in the first place. Lifting weights with your legs instead of your arms will help the quadriceps and hamstrings become tight and fit.

When working your arms, the body building exercises you should count on will consist a lot of barbell and dumbbell curls and well as bench presses. It’s easy when performing these exercises to just concentrate on lifting the weights, but what you really need to do is focus on the strain the weights are putting on your arm muscles. Really push them as you are lifting and feel how they are working in response.

Great abs are formed much in the same way as any other muscle group. They need to be worked, strained, and pushed in order to become toned. You can get that toned, sculpted look by doing simple sit ups and crunches, but weights can help too. Try hanging from a chin up bar and lifting your knees up, or get on a machine specially designed to tone the ab muscles.

When working the upper back, a pull-down bar machine will make all the difference in the world. This is a two handled curved bar that is attached to weights with a pulley system. You pull the bar down with your shoulders behind you.

It’s important when choosing body building exercises that you pick the ones that you are physically able to do. Then be very conscious of the way the exercise is supposed to be performed. If you don’t pay special attention to your form, you risk injury which can set back your body building program significantly.

Do your research on what types of body building exercises will work specific muscle groups and then incorporate them into your workout regimen. Pick a variety of exercises that will make your body everything you dreamed it could be and do them on a regular basis. The reward is a toned, fit body that you can be proud of!

One of the most common blunders that many people get caught up in when they decide to go into bodybuilding is the failure to train the leg muscles. Many persons tend to concentrate on the upper body and the arm muscles and completely or partially ignore their legs. It is vital that a training regimen be focused on the entire body and no preference should be paid to particular sections if you desire an even tone and appearance. Having a barrel-like chest and branch-like arms is all good but if these are supported by an undeveloped lower body then you might just get the nickname ‘chicken legs’.

There are a few recommendations that have been put forward by the more experienced bodybuilders in terms of developing the muscles in your legs. Prior to starting off on training the legs you should appreciate the fact that the legs are responsible for supporting your entire frame. As such it will be vital to ensure that your foundation is strong and stable. With this notion in mind you will be able to spread out the effort more instead of always thinking about your biceps.

Interchange your workout regime and pay attention to your legs. One of the best exercises for your lower body is the squats. These can be done plain or with the aid of weights such as the barbell. The exercise can be manipulated into a number of varieties that are guaranteed to give you good results. As you do the squatting exercises you should initiate the motion with your butt and not the knees. If you are inexperienced in this sort of workouts it will be advisable to ask a seasoned friend or trainer to monitor you.

Apart from the squats, you can also throw in a couple of other techniques that include leg extensions and standing leg curls. The former are meant to work on your quadriceps i.e. front part of the leg while the latter act on the reverse side of the thigh i.e. the hamstrings. Calf raises are a must because you will definitely require strong calf muscles. These raises have been modified severally and they include the one leg raises, reversed calf raises and donkey calf raises.

Strive to maintain proper performance for greater benefits. By working on the leg muscles you are in fact working on some of the largest muscle groups in your body. For this reason you may find the need to increase the weight resistance but care should be taken so as not to incur injury. For the maximum gains to your leg muscles you may perform lower reps in the range of 5-10 each in sets of 2-4. The rest period between these workouts is preferably 1-2 minutes.

Introduce new techniques to prevent complacency. As soon as you feel that you are near the plateau wall you should be prepared to alter your training sequences so as to stir the muscles into further growth and development.

Remember to give your legs a rest and eat healthily. This point hardly needs further explanation. The body muscles grow during the periods of rest and they need proteins to do so. Ensure that your diet contains enough proteins to foster muscle growth.

A well built body is something that everyone dreams about. Especially, if you are a body building fan, you will definitely know the importance of having a well toned physique. Body building has become a passion among a lot of people, both men and women, and people have realized the importance of having a good physique. Body building exercise plays the most important role in helping you get a well built body. Everything starts with physical work out and nothing helps you more than a well planned exercise schedule to build muscles.

In order to achieve the right results, you need to make sure that you exercise regularly and have proper diet along with that. You have to understand one thing which is very important and that is the regularity of the exercise schedule. A lot of people seem to take decision themselves and exercise as they wish without a proper schedule and guidance. This can result in two things. First, it could hamper your muscles and damage your body if done the wrong way and second, you will not achieve the kind of results you want to achieve with your muscles. This is the reason as to why having a trainer is considered very important as far as body building exercise is concerned. A body building trainer is a professional and with his experience and knowledge in the field of body building, he should be able to guide you the right way regarding all the aspects of body building exercise and other things related to that.

You need to understand your body well in order to make sure you exercise the right way. The kind of weights you can lift, the kind of exercises you can do initially, the kind of exercise routine you can have once you feel comfortable, the kind of food you should take, the kind of rest you should give your body, and many more things will be very important in getting the results you want. This is where a trainer could be of great help.

He can help you understand your body better and help you achieve the results by working with you in close quarters. It is generally not advised to start exercising without proper guidance as you may harm your body or may not get the results that you want from it. Either way, it is not the right thing to do as you could do the wrong exercise at the wrong time with the wrong diet, which could result in undesired results.

A weightlifter has a designated set of tools that are important in helping to measure the rate of progress achieved from your workout. Every weightlifter knows for a fact that it is very important to keep tabs on your progress right from day one. The said tools help in this effort. They will help monitor and evaluate your development and success. It is therefore quite crucial to have these tools in your arsenal.

The weight scale is one of the most important tools that you can have as a bodybuilder. The weight scale is not a fitness tool per se but it does serve a crucial purpose in being an indicator. From your scale you will know the total weight of your body at a specific point in time.

This weight includes that of your muscles, fat and bones. The weight scale will help you to keep track of your body mass and body fat indicators and from these figures you will know if you are making progress or not. The bathroom scale can be used for this intent. Take your weight reading in the nude every morning and record these figures week by week taking note of the progress. The most important features of a weight scale are not the technical additions but rather a functional, reliable, accurate and sturdy profile.

A set of body-fat calipers is the next vital inclusion in your arsenal. This is an invaluable tool that will help in the tracking of progress particularly on the muscle building front. You will find that in bodybuilding it is very important to determine your body fat content and percentage. This is basically the quantity of fat that you have in your body at a particular instance. The body-fat percentage as a figure is significant as are your body mass and weight indicators. This figure will let you know if a lean mass is being acquired or if more body fat is being accumulated.

The figures can help you create charts that will help you make informed decisions as to whether to alter or improve the bodybuilding regimen. In past years, bodybuilders used to rely on the weight scale readings alone to track their progress. This was not an effective way of doing so since the scale won’t differentiate what weight the muscles and the fat are separately. For more accurate forecasts it is advisable to use both body weight and body fat measurements.

There are a variety of well designed and affordable body fat calipers that you can add to your ‘toolbox’. For most accurate readings you will need to get the help of a partner to take the readings. As you use the calipers take measurements from various parts of the body e.g. the chest and upper thighs. A fine pair of calipers will let you take a maximum of three readings and from these give you an accurate fat percentage; a very convenient way of doing so.

The measuring tape is also crucial in taking measurements of various muscle parts like the neck, calves, chest, upper thighs, waist, and forearms.

Body building success results from persistent and consistent efforts. A two week adventure in the gym will just but excite the body but no substantial muscle mass will be accumulated in short periods of workouts, rather a life long venture into the gym is what makes body building champions. It is better said by those who say that body building is a lifestyle not an activity. There are two reasons for calling body building a lifestyle. For one, success in body building does not only result form what is done in the gym the truth is body building efforts must be extended from the gym into an individual’s life.

The diet must change and reflect the body building objectives. The activities that an individual engages in are evaluated and prioritized based on the significance and mostly ends up being dropped from the daily schedules so as to factor in enough workout time. The drinking barges with friends stop all over a sudden and the careless lunch festivities with colleagues become a thing of the past. Once you join a body building program, even your friends change gradually and you keep the company of those who share your passion and lifestyle. Within no time at all, you find yourself spending your time preparing and enjoying frequent meals that take a lot of time to put together. Successful body building is based on a particular strategy that details which exercises will be done in which workout session, with what intensity, for how long and hoe it will executed.

Strategizing success most times equals body building success. It is on strategy that a body builder has to decide how to ensure each exercise is effective in stimulating muscle growth. When the exercise has been executed to the point where the body part(s) involved can not do any other rep, that is the point called the exhaust point. There are strategies that specifically concentrate on exercises done before the body part(s) has reached the point of maximum exhaustion. These are called pre-exhaust techniques. The techniques involve the compound set of light single-joint movement exercises performed after heavy multi-joint movement exercises. For instance, a body builder who after a set of bench presses will pick a dumbbell immediately for several flyer’s.

There are three benefits that accrue from a post-exhaust routine the first being the ability to extend the workload volume of a single set while not compromising on the due intensity of the set. A post exhaust technique helps a body builder to develop pure fast-twitch group of muscle fibers with the heavy compound-movement exercises and then extend the stimulation to the intermediate fat-twitch group of muscle fibers with a lighter single-movement exercise. In essence these results to a more comprehensive workout that reaches out to the whole body and all essential body parts. The body building industry is full of skinny guys who have been in the trade for ages and have not even an ounce of muscle. These people will be so swift to explain why they don’t accumulate muscles despite being in a body building program for all these years.